Yesterday and Forever - a McRoll in the REAL World story
by Mari217
Summary: A visit from a former teammate of Catherine's sparks memories of two legs of a joint operation.


_Sammy & Ilna - you make me smile every day. Thanks for the feedback, the idea bouncing and the proofing. There's not a day I'm not thankful two such incredible people are my friends.  
_

 _REALMcRollers and Readers - thanks as always for the love._  
 _ _AceHuntzberger_ _an email like yours makes our days. Thank you!__

 _This one goes out to send slightly belated birthday wishes to a little sweetie across the pond xoxo  
_

* * *

 **Yesterday and Forever**

Guess who called me today?" Catherine tucked the phone under her chin and grabbed her laptop after locking her desk. "Preacher."

"Really?" Steve's voice rose in interest. He knew Catherine's former teammate from NI, she'd served with Tykeem Webber for several years. They'd done two tours together and were still in touch. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," she continued the conversation as she exited her office and walked down the hall.

"Did you invite him over for dinner? We can grill. He can meet Angie."

She grinned at Steve immediately offering they host; how it came as second nature now when years ago he'd have suggested a meal or drink out somewhere. It made her feel … warm.

And settled.

And so, so happy.

"I did. He's on the island with Bree and Liam. She's here for a convention and they decided to add on a few days and make it a vacation. Liam works with his mom in her real estate business so while they're at the convention's LinkedIn thing, Preacher's going to come by to say hi." She smiled. They were equally enamoured with introducing their daughter. "And meet Angie."

"Wait, Liam's out of college? His kid's that old?"

"He's twenty two." She heard him huff and chuckled. "Preacher's forty five and he had a kid young. Anyway, he's free tonight, so I told him to come by at six - that you'd be home then barring any cases coming up."

"Sounds good. I'm leaving now. I'll stop at Foodland and grab some steaks."

She'd reached her car and tossed in her briefcase and purse. "Perfect. See you at home."

* * *

The visit with Tykeem had been a good one and Angie thoroughly charmed the former naval officer turned youth minister, cooing and giggling at the exaggerated expressions and deep baritone when he'd repeated "Hellllooo Annnnngeline Elizzzzzzabeth" when it made her smile.

They all made plans to meet up for drinks at the Webber's hotel before the end of their trip so Steve and Catherine could catch up with his family and Bree could "fuss over this gorgeous girl." Before he'd left, Tykeem had gifted the baby with a beautiful keepsake box hand painted by his wife with fuzzy animals and her name.

* * *

That night, as they climbed into bed, Catherine gave a contented sigh at the same time Steve's huff of breath as he settled on the pillow illustrated his level of relaxed contentment.

They shared a smile. "Preacher looks great," she said and he nodded. "Happy. I'm glad, he's a good guy. You know …" Her eyes were focused on a point years in the past and half a world away.

"What?" He lifted an arm to her and she moved so she was comfortably against his side.

"The mission in Zaranj and Barak … when I didn't know you were safe, that you'd completed your leg of the operation before we'd wrapped ours?" She felt him nod and continued. "Preacher came and told me you were okay. He's been in the debriefing and said your team was back at camp."

"Did he?"

"Yeah. He knew you were on the team that dropped on our intel and about us…" She shrugged the shoulder that wasn't snug against Steve's side. "Like I said, he's a good guy." A thought struck her and she mused, "How interested do you think Angie will be? In our missions? Well, in what we can tell her..."

"If she takes after us?" He kissed her hair. "She'll ask about everything. But one thing I'll always tell her is how amazingly brave and brilliant her mom was and is." He squeezed her shoulder gently. "You know, while you were back on the ship waiting for word on me, I was in Zaranj doing the same…"

* * *

 _ **December 2008**_

 _ **SEAL Team's Camp  
Zaranj Nimruz province Afghanistan **_

Steve debriefed via the single channel ground and airborne radio system shortly after arrival at camp. Prior to signing off the Combat Net Radio which handled voice and data communications he uttered a question as he ran a hand over his eyes and wiped the sweat on a pant leg. "Any contact with Sierra since they hit the ground?"

Hearing, "Negative, Commander - still underway," he nodded although no one was there to see the gesture and let out a breath. Although the sectors of the combined mission were in different zones, hundreds of miles apart and under different commands, the NI team that was boots on the ground in support of the Afghan Army's raid on an entrenched high level Taliban leader included Catherine.

Steve's team had completed their mission with no casualties and a high value target was eliminated. As the rest of the SEALs were grabbing some much needed food and sleep, he stood under the field shower system for his first shower in five days, after leaving first shot at the water for the others as he reported in to command.

Working a t-shirt over his still damp torso, he re-equipped and moved towards the tent where he knew he'd have to use a relaxation technique to get any sleep.

As he approached the team member on guard rotation in the small camp, the man gave him a smile. "Lieutenant Rollins is attached to Sierra," he stated rather than asked.

His guys knew him well, even when he hadn't uttered a word. He blinked at Noah Jones, who'd been dubbed Snake Eyes back at BUD/S and pinned him with a curious look.

"No one said nothing." He raised his chin. "You have a tell."

Steve crossed his arms and waited. He seriously doubted anything in his demeanor spoke of just exactly how concerned he always was for Catherine's safety.

"You always double check intel, but this mission - when you knew the team was off the ship and en route you pulled coordinates for Sierra and told the contact you wanted a report as soon as they were mission complete."

Steve schooled his features. He'd known Catherine was tagged with the Sierra team and pulled their sector coordinates. Not for any reason other than knowing her drop location made him feel ...connected in case things went belly up...

Jones voice brought him back, "She's good, and I'm prayin' for her. For all of 'em. Besides Preacher's with 'em, and he's _connected_." His eyes turned upward.

He nodded his conviction. "They're prepped and have confirmed intel."

"And a little in with the Almighty never hurts." Jones winked and pointed his dusty rifle towards the sky. Snake Eyes was for the man's incredible luck with everything but dice. Since he'd unashamedly prayed before every exercise at BUD/S and every mission since, and he'd served with Catherine's shipmate before his SEAL days he'd felt confident adding a prayer for members of the complementary simultaneous missions would cinch their success.

Steve shrugged and returned the nod, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder as he passed him to enter the tent. Crawling into his sleeping bag, a luxury after the past seven days, he glanced around at the rest of his sleeping team. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard the familiar voice say, "She's okay. You'll get word tomorrow."

Again he nodded and seeing Freddie turn over, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Picturing the image of Catherine laughing, leaning over him while wearing his t-shirt to clear in his mind, his hand twitched involuntarily.

Her voice whispering, "be careful" and the feel of her hair sliding through his fingers lulled him to sleep as the words "I was, Cath." echoed in his mind.

* * *

 _ **Aboard Ship  
Gulf of Oman**_

Catherine collapsed on her bunk. She wasn't sitting thirty seconds when Tykeem Webber stuck his head in the room she shared with another female lieutenant on the 3rd deck under the officer's wardroom. She sat bolt upright. "Preacher, any contact with the team?"

The exhausted lieutenant who'd also been dispatched on the completed part of the mission smiled slowly. "They're back at base camp, team intact for 12 hours. Commander Spiros just said the op was a click from FUBAR - the target was ready to rabbit. They were about to abort but, and I quote, 'The hard-headed MFIC insisted they could turn it around. If I have any say, and I do, he earned himself and his team leave starting in 48 for the way he held it together.' "

Catherine let out a breath and took a deep, cleansing one at his words. A small smile gracing her lips. The MFIC - slang for mother fucker in charge - was of course, Steve. "Thank God," she whispered.

"Already did." Preacher reached out and squeezed her hand. He'd earned his nickname when his fellow sailors learned he'd been an ordained minister before joining up. While he never pushed his beliefs on anyone, he was always willing to hold a hand or offer a prayer for a person, a mission or a family member at home. "Rollins?"

Her smile brightened. "Yeah?"

"Get some rack time. But put in for leave for day after tomorrow first."

Thinking of Steve being on another leg of the same mission, only half the country away, she nodded. "Roger that. And thanks, Preacher."

After completing NAVCOMPT FORM 3065 LEAVE REQUEST/AUTHORIZATION and dropping it off for the personnel officer, Catherine returned to her stateroom and donned shorts and a t-shirt. As she reclined on the bunk that after days of being in perpetual motion felt like a luxurious mattress, she turned to look at the photo of her and Steve tacked on the small cork board next to her bunk and smiled, thinking, "You stay safe, I'll see you soon."

* * *

 **Jumeirah Beach Hotel United Arab Emirates**

"Cath," an exhausted looking Steve whispered into her hair after she practically ran across the lobby to meet him.

She breathed in deeply, holding onto him with all she had. "We're checked in," she said against his lips and took both hands in hers, tugging him towards the bank of elevators. "I just couldn't wait upstairs."

He smiled and quipped, "Miss me too much?" as was their norm, but the look in his eyes was soft and grateful at her serious reply.

"Yeah." She kissed him in the empty elevator. "Yeah, I did."

An hour later, they were lying across the king sized bed as she pushed up to look in his eyes. They'd be able to discuss the mission in depth, because they both had clearance on it but that would come later. Much later. They'd actually stood just inside the door and held each other for several minutes before he lifted her right up off the floor and moved towards the bed.

* * *

 _ **Present**_

"I was so happy to see you safe and sound." She reached up to kiss him before lying back down.

"That one almost went south for my team and I knew you were boots down … I was so relieved to hear you were back onboard ship, I …" He shook his head. "That was a long transport till I saw you."

"And you'd had how much sleep?"

"About four hours at base camp," he chuckled.

"And I had six." She smiled against his shoulder.

"Still managed to make our first afternoon count." His voice was amused.

"I'm surprised we didn't fall asleep during sex."

"Nah, we didn't fall asleep when we were getting up three times a night with Angie ..." he countered and she heard the smile in his voice. "Like I said, it counted. And after eight hours, we were pretty acrobatic for the rest of leave." The monitor came to life with a tiny gurgle and coo before going quiet and they both chuckled. "She's got good timing," Steve added.

"The mission seems like yesterday … and forever ago, huh? " She glanced at her rings as she passed a hand over his chest. "Still us, though."

"A lot of years."

"Every one better than before." She sighed. "And we're still Steve and Catherine."

He pulled back and she looked up to see his eyes. "Always will be."

 _# End thanks for reading_

* * *

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